October 2011

October 30, 2011

With so many cars, so many ratings, so many numbers, how do you compare them? I got a tip on a new website, Find the Best, that's putting together a database that includes such information as horsepower, fuel economy, price and ratings.

It's primarily U.S. information but there's a lot of stuff happening on it. Check it out at Find the Best.

I don't know if you've been following the news on Saab, but I have. (For the record, I write the daily news report at Autos.ca, and the ongoing saga is just too much to leave out.)

It's a shame to see what has happened to the automaker, which used to make some pretty cool cars. Once General Motors let go of it, there really wasn't enough money to make it all work. The problem is that no one is willing to admit that. Just in case you haven't been keeping track, here's the Reader's Digest Condensed Version:

January 26, 2010 - GM sells Saab to sports car manufacturer Spyker.

March 23, 2010 - The Saab plant starts making cars again. Two months later, Saab's CEO wins the Swedish Business Award for Outstanding Achievement for his work on the restructuring. He'll leave the company a year later.

June 2, 2010 - Media drive and praise the all-new Saab 9-5.

June 18, 2010 - Jason Castriota, formerly of Bertone and Pininfarina, is named the company's new design director. Three months later, BMW signs on to supply turbocharged four-cylinder engines.

November 18, 2010 - The 9-4X is launched.

December 21, 2010 - Saab announces an agreement to sell its vehicles in China.

April 6, 2011 - The assembly lines stop as Saab runs out of money. It's trying to get funding and is even working on selling and then renting back its factory.

April - May 2011 - Some new funding faces: Gemini Investments, China's Hawtai Motor Group and even Russian banker Vladimir Antonov talk about tossing money in. It turns out to be talk.

May 16, 2011 - Saab and Spyker enter an agreement with Pang Da Automobile for a 50/50 joint venture in China.

May 27, 2011 - The assembly lines start up again, but not for long. Pang Da places orders for cars.

June 9, 2011 - The assembly lines stop. The suppliers haven't been paid and they stop shipping parts.

June 13, 2011 - Chinese company Youngman enters the Saab/Spyker/Pang Da dance, which is now up to 245 million Euros - but only on paper. Ten days later, Saab announces it can't pay its workers since the promised short-term funding didn't materialize.

June 27, 2011 - The Chinese companies order more cars and promise to pay in advance for them. A day later, Saab says it may have sold its real estate. On June 29, it announces a bridge loan of 25 million Euros from Gemini Investment Fund.

July 4, 2011 - Saab, Youngman and Pang Da have a new funding and joint venture agreement. Later this month, Saab says it won't be able to restart production on August 9 as it originally intended.

July 22, 2011 - One of Saab's suppliers files to force Saab into bankruptcy. Saab agrees to pay what's due and the issue is resolved.

August 23, 2011 - Saab employees are warned not to expect their pay.

September 2011 - Saab files for voluntary reorganization. The court rejects it and Saab appeals. The automaker tries to sell its technology license for 70 million Euros. The Swedish unions file for Saab's bankruptcy. Saab's appeal of its reorganization rejection is approved. On October 13, it receives the first bridge loan payment from Youngman.

October 20, 2011 - Saab accepts a funding commitment from North Street Capital when it suspects Pang Da and Youngman won't come through with the balance promised. North Street will later terminate its commitment when Saab sells shares to GEM Global Yield Fund. The administrator of Saab's reorganization applies to have the reorganization stopped. Saab contests it and asks the court to turf the administrator.

October 23, 2011 - Saab, which had agreed to sell all of its shares (and therefore the company) to Pang Da and Youngman, terminates the agreement due to the Chinese companies' failure to commit to the terms and to pay their promised bridge loans.

October 28, 2011 - The tiff is over. Saab is back up for sale to Pang Da and Youngman. Through all of this, the assembly lines still haven't restarted. Right now, Saab is an automaker that doesn't make automobiles.

I've just come back from a week at "Testfest," where the Automobile Journalists Association of Canada (AJAC) tests vehicles to name the Car of the Year and Utility Vehicle of the Year winners, both in their categories - the winners already announced - and the overall champions, which will be named next February at the Toronto Auto Show. It was almost a clean sweep by the Koreans and Germans this year.

Not all vehicles are tested. To be eligible, a vehicle must be all-new or substantially changed, which is why your favorite might not be on the list. Journalists were assigned to specific categories - I had three to do - and could drive and vote in others, provided they drove all of them. Cars go on a track, SUVs on an off-road loop, and all get driven on the street and highway. We all drove the category winners on the final day. Here's what won and my thoughts on the ones I drove:

Small Car Under $21,000 - The Hyundai Accent won, followed in order by the Kia Rio5, Honda Civic Sedan, Chevrolet Sonic Sedan, Nissan Versa Sedan, Fiat 500 and Scion iQ. I voted in this category and pegged the Accent. Great handling, nice engine and lots of features even though it was the least expensive in the class.

Small Car Over $21,000 - Hyundai Elantra, followed by the Ford Ford Focus, Subaru Impreza and Volkswagen Beetle. I suspect the overall Car of the Year is going to come down to Accent vs. Elantra.

Family Car Under $30,000 - Kia Optima, followed by the Volkswagen Passat TDI, Toyota Camry, Mazda5, Chevrolet Orlando and Chrysler 200. I drove this category and while the Optima is a sweet ride, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend any of these vehicles as candidates for test-drives. I figured the Passat would win since journalists traditionally love diesels. I also thought the Orlando would do better than it did; it's a very nice, well-done car.

Family Car Over $30,000 - Kia Optima Hybrid, followed by the Hyundai Sonata Hybrid, Chevrolet Volt, Dodge Charger, Mini Countryman and Toyota Prius V. This is where you can stumble when you're faced with such wide categories: how do you compare a Dodge Charger to a Mini to a Volt? It comes down to assessing each vehicle on its merits and how well it does what it's supposed to do, but it's still very difficult.

Sports/Performance Under $50,000 - Hyundai Veloster, then Volkswagen Jetta GLI, Kia Optima SX, Mercedes-Benz C-Class Coupe, Honda Civic Si Coupe, Buick Regal GS and Dodge Charger SRT8. This was the shocker of the event: that the Veloster topped such high-powered hardware. It's a sporty little driver but I thought the GLI should have taken it. I also thought the Charger should have been rated much higher, especially given how many people praised its performance.

Sports/Performance Over $50,000 - BMW 1 M Coupe, followed by the Porsche Cayman R, Mercedes-Benz CLS-Class, Chrysler 300 SRT8, Hyundai Genesis R-Spec and Chevrolet Camaro Convertible. The 1 M made my knees go weak when I drove it, it's that good, but from all I've read, it's only going to be made for one year in very limited quantities. Why are we testing a car that may already be sold out and never built again?

Prestige Car Over $75,000 - Mercedes-Benz S-Class 350 BlueTEC, then the BMW 6 Series Cabriolet and Jaguar XKR-S. That diesel in the Mercedes could give cream a run for smoothness. I want that nasty, snarly Jaguar with all my heart and soul, though. I normally get bored pretty quickly with track driving, but I could have taken that car around it all day.

SUV/CUV Under $35,000 - Dodge Journey, then the Jeep Compass and Jeep Wrangler. Yes, you read that right: Chrysler was going home with hardware no matter what. That said, the wrong vehicle took the prize. The Wrangler is the best it has ever been, with a great engine, smoother ride, great interior and same awesome off-road capability. Too many people penalized it because it's a hard-core off-roader, but that's exactly the point they didn't get. And who on earth voted for a Compass that was optioned to twenty-nine thousand dollars?

SUV/CUV $35,000-$60,000 - Volkswagen Touareg TDI, followed by the Range Rover Evoque, BMW X1, Ford Explorer and Dodge Durango. I've never had a thing for the Touareg, which I find bloated and uncomfortable (Tiguan rules!), but its engine is nice. I thought it would be the Evoque and then the X1.

SUV/CUV Over $60,000 - BMW X3, then the Mercedes-Benz M-Class and Jeep Grand Cherokee SRT8. I voted in this class and felt the Jeep had it. This is why I don't bet heavily on horse races.

My final guess? I think that next February, the envelope will go to the Hyundai Accent and Dodge Journey. But I've definitely been wrong before.

October 26, 2011

Few people will ever long for a minivan, but for hauling crowds, nothing beats them. I drove the redesigned Toyota Sienna from Ontario to Pennsylvania and came away very impressed. You can read all about it in Autos.ca by clicking here.

October 13, 2011

I initially drove Nissan's NV work van on a short press event; this time around, I had it for a week. It's pretty impressive, especially with all the features that were designed to make the workday easier. You can read all about it on Autos.ca by clicking here.

October 06, 2011

Turbocharging is becoming a very common engine enhancement, as automakers provide bigger-engine power with smaller-engine fuel technology. Hyundai offers it on the Sonata 2.0T, a very nice driver that can pass quite a few stations before it needs to fill up again. You can read my review in Autos.ca by clicking here.

October 04, 2011

Some of the major automakers aren't just telling us about electric cars, they're putting them on the showroom floor. None of that comes without challenges, though, especially when it comes to keeping them charged.

I visited the EV 2011 Conference and Trade Show in Toronto, where I got to drive several of them and learn more about the electric future. You can read all about it in Autos.ca by clicking here.

October 01, 2011

Just when you think some people should know better, the news headlines come out. Al Unser Jr., who twice won the Indy 500, was arrested this week on charges of drunk and reckless driving.

It seems that Unser was arrested near his home in Albuquerque (shoulda made a left turn there, Doc) when police caught him drag-racing another car, driving his Chevrolet Suburban at just over 100 mph. His blood alcohol content was twice the legal limit.

When will people learn?

I had a bit of an issue, if you could call it that, with Unser earlier this year. As part of a press launch I was attending, he had been hired by the car company to drive a pace car around a racetrack while we followed in the new models we were assessing. I was riding a lap when my (male) co-driver ran into a slippery curve and went off into the grass. It was nothing serious; just some wheels in the green stuff, and then he got back on and off we went. But afterwards, Unser asked someone who had gone off the track. "The white car," someone said.

Three male colleagues and I were standing beside two white cars, so it could have been any one of us. Unser shook his finger at me and said, "It got away on you, did it?" That's the dinosaur thinking: a driver screwed up, so it had to be the woman.

And now it seems that his dinosaur thinking goes even deeper. Drinking, texting, phoning, eating ... when are we going to realize that the most important thing you can do behind the wheel of a car is drive it?

A lifelong dream come true: I go to Louisville for the Kentucky Derby!

I didn’t grow up loving cars, but when the bug finally hit, it took me by storm. I make my living writing about them, and I spend much of my spare time playing with them.

I’m a freelance writer and a member of the Automobile Journalists of Canada. My regular outlets include new-car reviews and special-interest articles for The Toronto Star (Wheels section); new-car reviews and features for Autofocus.ca (formerly known as Sympatico Autos); reviews and a technology column for the Toronto-area newspaper Metro; articles on antique cars for Old Autos Newspaper; and articles in the industry trade magazines Collision Management, Fleet Digest and Tire News. You can still find my work at Autos.ca, where I wrote reviews and features, and was the Assistant Editor.

But I’m more than just cars: I also write about food and drink, travel, pen collecting, celebrity interviews and pets, among others. My work has appeared in such publications as Sharp For Men, Maclean's, Harrowsmith Country Life, Pen World, Dogs In Canada, Gambit, Where New Orleans, Rural Delivery and Writer’s Journal.